Blades & Balms: Book One of the Thorn & Bloom Saga

By Marthin Louw

A razor-edged romantasy where an ice-veined assassin and a moon-kissed healer must solve a palace murder-or lose their heads in seven nights.

When royal adviser Lord Merrow is found dead in a moonlit garden-with a poisoned dagger bearing a stranger's sigil- Healer Irys Vale becomes the prime suspect. Caught beside the corpse is Kael Ironhand, the king's own shadow-blade who swears he didn't strike the fatal blow. Their punishment? A brutal truth-burning shackle that welds their wrists-and fates-together.

Now the kingdom's deadliest loner and its most stubborn healer have seven nights to unmask a conspiracy that bleeds from opulent ballrooms to alchemist back-alleys. Each lie scorches their skin; every shared secret sparks an intoxicating, slow-burn attraction. Betrayal hides in jade-laced poisons, masked bazaars, and forbidden blood magic-and the price of failure is the headsman's axe.

Perfect for fans of Fourth Wing and From Blood and Ash, Blades & Balms delivers:

✦ Enemies-to-lovers banter sharp enough to cut armor

✦ "Patch-up" intimacy & rune-seared slow burn

✦ Twist-packed murder mystery with alchemical poisons

✦ A guaranteed HEA... and a sequel hook that will leave you gasping

Ready for a midnight binge? One click and chain yourself to the adventure-Buy Now

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FDQTDMVN
• ISBN13: 9798288613937
• Release Date: June 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 90 Pages
• Weight: 0.29 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 6.0" x 9.0"